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Success And Failure In William Faulkner's The Bear

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In the short story “The Bear”, William Faulkner writes a story that includes many different characters who experience life-changing events. Faulkner demonstrates that a person’s success and failure will ultimately cause him to mistake his rightful place in society. Faulkner illustrates this theme throughout the story by using the developing characteristics of Boon. At the end of the short story, Boon’s unsteady life leads the developing world to exclude him because of his faulty success (Hess).
To demonstrate how success and failure in an individual's life can steer that person to misinterpret his place in the world, Faulkner uses Boon’s strong bond with Lion as an example. In part due to Lion’s aggressive name and nature, Boon has high expectations …show more content…
Throughout Boon’s life, others agree that he cannot “hit anything” (Faulkner 223) because he is merely a simple “plebeian” (Faulkner 223) to Sam Fathers, who rightfully “[is] the chief” (Faulkner 224). As a result, when out hunting for the mystical bear in the woods every year, he continually fails to complete one simple task by always “[shooting] at the bear five times with his pump gun touching nothing” (Faulkner 224). Later on in the short story, Boon’s “muddy boots and stained khakis” (Faulkner 229) seem to stand out in the city as if “he should have never brought [them] out of the woods” (Faulkner 229) in the first place. The woods consume Boon’s life, yet he does not fit in there, nor does he fit in the big advancing real world. For example, as soon as they step into the city atmosphere, Boon “cough[s] for something less than a minute” and proceeds to complain about a non-existent cold (Faulkner 229). Sadly, Boon not only fails to become a true hunter, but also a normal civilian. Boon cannot fully function in the real world, even when receiving reminders from Ike. For example, Ike warns Boon that he previously “promised Major” (Faulkner 230) that he would not consume a single drop of alcohol until they got “back to camp” (Faulkner 230). As a result of the reminder, Boon’s desperateness leads him to “get the hell out” of the city as fast as possible (Faulkner …show more content…
“Traditional Themes in Faulkner’s ‘The Bear’.” EXPLORING Short Stories, Gale, 2003. Student Resources in Context. Accessed 18 Apr. 2017. doi:Gale|EJ2112200051.
Lehan, Richard. “Faulkner’s Poetic Prose: Style and Meaning in ‘The Bear’.” EXPLORING Short Stories, Gale, 2003. Student Resources in Context. Accessed 18 Apr. 2017. doi:GALE|EJ2112200048.
“Plot Summary: ‘The Bear’.” DISCovering Authors, Gale, 2003. Student Resources in Context. Accessed 18 Apr. 2017. doi:GALE|EJ2101300168.
“Themes and Construction: ‘The Bear’.” EXPLORING Short Stories, Gale, 2003. Student Resources in Context. Accessed 18 Apr. 2017. doi:GALE|EJ2112500006.
Faulkner, William. “Boon Hogganbeck” Bear, Man, and God: Seven Approaches to William Faulkner’s The Bear, edited by Francis Lee Utley et al., 1st ed., Random House, New York, NY, 1964, p. 327. Originally published in The Reivers, New York, Random House, 1962, pp. 19-23.
Faulkner, William C. “The Bear” Three Famous Short Novels: Spotted Horses, Old Man, and The Bear, 1st ed., Vintage Books, New York, NY, 2011, pp. 191-325. Originally published in Go Down, Moses, Random House, New York, NY, 1942, pp.

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